Meteo Ranger
by utdfan22
Summary: Appearances can often be deceiving and first impressions carry far more weight than they should. When your city is torn apart by conflict, you need to know who you can trust. Five teenagers at Akeru High are gathering together to fight a war against the demons sieging their town but even that simple task carries its dark secrets.
1. Episode 1: First Day in Akeru High

**Author's Notes: My own take on a unique Sentai team. I couldn't figure out where to put this up, so I went with this site in violation of my usual no OCs policy. I feel like a disgusting berk. The names Getomachi and Akeru High were chosen to fit the themes of the series, those of intersection and the inevitable conflict that follows.**

**Akeru= To Open**

**Getomachi= Geto (Gate) & Machi (Town).**

**Tamashii Ayama= Iris to the Soul.**

**Episode 1**

The moon hung high in the sky, two figures cloaked in its shadow seeming to float just in front of its face if looked upon from the ground. One bearing jagged edges and spikes across his silhouette while the other bore a svelte form where even the legs were joined together under what appeared to be a robe.

"So, it begins again…" the robed one said with a subtle glee, its slightly feminine voice smooth and angelic in its dulcet tones.

"May the best demon win, hehe," its more striking compatriot snickered, the words sounding scratched and hollow as they left its more masculine-sounding throat.

* * *

The town of Getomachi was small but dense, its length stuffed to the brim with buildings and narrow pathways that covered near the entirety of the landscape in artificial constructs. Even the town park seemed perfectly calculated to fit an open space into the busy place. The same could be said about the population, the number of people seeming top heavy when weighed against the actual geography of the town.

Overlooking all of this was a large green hill, the side facing the town too steep to scale. Atop it stood Akeru High School, a surprisingly modern set of facilities amongst the town's otherwise unsophiscated urbane aesthetic.

The dull grey walls stretched up into the sky, casting a shadow over the rest Getomachi in the early mornings as the sun rose against its back. Students milled about on the first morning back, awaiting the opening of the school doors for the first classes of the New Year. The fine Spring morning saw the sun shining down brightly on the teenagers, a chilly breeze the only reminder of the day's early hours.

A plain looking girl with short black hair framing her face sighed at the sight, her hand clenching tightly at the strap of her bag as she began her first tentative steps towards the front door. Her uniform was worn exactly as mandated: her black jacket neatly closed over her shirt, her white collar perfectly symmetrical and her skirt kept at a conservative length just below her knees. She used her free hand to adjust a pair of rectangular glasses resting upon the bridge of her cute little nose.

Tamashii Ayame knew moving would be hard, saying goodbye to old friends after her first year of High School in Tokyo and moving out into the countryside to start anew. Still, it was a shock just how out of place she felt while staring up at the unfamiliar school and seeing a crowd of unrecognisable faces blending together to make her feel like a cow amongst a herd of sheep.

"_You'll be fine; you have a warm and caring personality. I'm sure you'll have lots of friends by the end of your first week."_

Her mother's reassuring words quickly lost their lustre as she thought back to her previous school, her introverted personality leading to her making few friends outside her old school's tiny Photography Club. It had taken her years to cultivate those friendships in the lower schools, having only really just started to open up when the carpet was ripped out from under her.

Ayame forced herself to derail that train of thought, this was a fresh beginning and the past was irrelevant.

"_I will make a lot of friends this year. I won't just sit back and let life pass me-"_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of someone roughly bumping into her, the force knocking her painfully onto her backside. She whined lowly at the pain, glancing upwards to see that the person she'd hit into was already walking ahead with an annoyed scowl. She had half a mind to complain about that but her breath caught when she started to take in his (definitely a "his") features.

He had a strong build matched by a tall height, allowing him to both tower over the rest of the nearby student body and giving him the muscle to fill that frame out nicely. While he didn't appear overly defined or bulky, he had just enough meat in all the right places to create an aura around himself on sight. His clean-cut look definitely helped, his gakuren fully buttoned and well-maintained, successfully evoking the military traditions for which the uniform was chosen. A square jaw and deep brown eyes both complimented his appearance well to round him out as definitely someone that a person like Ayame wasn't supposed to complain about… and certainly one she couldn't talk back to.

Ayame felt her face go red, any possible complaints dying on her tongue as she pushed herself to her feet and hurried towards the main office so she could pick up her schedule.

* * *

The woman behind the school office's counter smiled at Ayame as she sorted through the files in her binder. She was an older type with frizzy black hair tied into a messy bun by a white strip and light wrinkles dotting her skin. A black plaque sat on the wooden desk, with the words "Minami-San" written in white letters.

"Ah, here we are. Tamashii Ayame, good grades, likely to attend a top-quality university, no history of behavioural problems or delinquency… your record certainly reads very well," the older woman's lips curled upwards happily, her red nail tapping the papers before her approvingly. "I was also asked to tell you that your little brother already checked in earlier today. At least that's one less thing to worry about when moving, huh? Oh, we even have a Photography club, so you can pick up where you left up in your old school."

Ayame giggled nervously, her hands both finding her bag's straps for a reassuring squeeze. Seeing the uncomfortable look flitting across the younger girl's face, Minami-San couldn't supress a light chuckle.

"Don't be nervous dear, a big advantage of a place like this is the lack of excitement. A new student is always big news, especially when it's a pretty one like you."

Ayame couldn't supress a loud guffaw at the comment, her nerves momentarily melting away as she took her schedule from an also giggling Minami-San.

Giving her a careful glance, Minami-San visibly relaxed, "Just take things easy for a while and it'll work out. If you need help, just come see me. I know what it's like to be the new kid in town."

"Thank you, Miss," Ayame said gratefully as she bowed briefly to the older woman, just before hearing the warning bell for the day's first class. "Oops, I have to run! Thank you again, Minami-San!" Ayame called over her shoulder as she took off running through the hall while scrambling to pull the map in front of his face.

Minami-San sat back into her chair and sighed nostalgically, "Ah to be young again."

* * *

The school's hallways were pristine, the janitors apparently working overtime to prevent even the slightest stickiness from touching the floor or graffiti staining the pale yellow lockers for even the shortest period of time. Ayame felt a certain camaraderie with that but it hardly made waiting outside her noisy new homeroom any easier. The voices of students drifted towards her ears and she felt her heart hammering in her chest at the thought of having to introduce herself to all those new faces.

An older male dressed in a grey suit approached her, grimacing at a crash emanating from inside his classroom that was promptly followed by laughter.

"Those idiots haven't calmed down at all."

Ayame gulped at his statement, her imagination running away with itself at thoughts of violent delinquents with dyed hair dominating the class and pulling her inside, probing hands reaching way too high up her skirt. She shook her paranoid delusions away; she was far too practical to get washed away in fantasy. Besides, she was sure she could handle herself if anyone tried anything.

She quickly turned her attention back to her teacher, noticing a deep scar on his cheek, hair slicked back with gel save for a single pointed bang hanging down on the right side of his face and a cigarette hanging out the opposite side of his mouth. It was unlit but his twitching hands suggested that wasn't going to last too long. In all honesty, Ayame thought he looked out of place as a school teacher… maybe he should have been some kind of Yakuza enforcer.

"Oi, don't give your teacher that look," he objected, his eyes narrowing at her curious expression, causing Ayame to jump in shock. "I'm Todo-Sensei and don't you forget it. If you step out of line, I'll knock you back into it. Got it?"

She nodded sheepishly in response, wondering when the camera crew would pop out and reveal the joke. Instead, Todo-Sensei just smiled and clapped her shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Don't worry; I'm actually a pretty nice guy, Tamashii. You shouldn't let appearances spook you so much."

Ayame looked to the side when she agreed with him, the words seeming… less than totally credible when coming from his mouth. It was with that thought in mind that she'd followed him into the heart of her new peer group. The room went silent at the sight of them, Two dozen eyes boring into Ayame, eagerly sizing up the newcomer.

"Alright brats, you're in my second year homeroom, so the same rules as last year apply. No making out, no smoking in class and no breaking school property. Other than that, you're free to do what you want once I've gotten through my daily business."

Grins on the students' faces rather than fear at Todo-Sensei's bold words… he was popular here. Ayame wondered if that said good things about the teacher or bad things about the students.

"Now, we have a new student to the school, so I want you guys to make her feel welcome. I see any bullying and I'll have to do some of my own. I'm a naïve little flower like that," Todo-Sensei said with a completely straight face, people snickering at his perfect delivery. "Well, introduce yourself."

"Oh," Ayame jumped, her face turning red as she reached for a marker to write her name on the whiteboard. Turning back to face the students, she swallowed deeply to try and avoid stuttering. "My name is Tamashii Ayame, I'm really happy to meet you all. I really like photography because I think it's a great way to preserve memories. I hope I'll make lots of good ones at this school."

She finished her spiel with a bow, cursing the fact that she'd rushed it slightly, words probably running together too fast for them all to be made out properly.

"She seems kind of shy." "It must suck to have to move in the middle of High School." "She's pretty cute, though." "Eh, she's alright." "Should we ask her to hang out with us after school today?" "Naw, we should show her where the Photography Club meets so she can sign up today."

Embarrassing as it was to have so many students whisper about her, she was glad to see that so many of them seemed friendly and… normal. No one really stood out as not belonging or dangerous looking, Todo-Sensei seeming completely out-of-place there (thank whatever God was listening).

A bubbly girl with her black hair in a ponytail and a cute pink streak running through it raised her hand.

"Yeah, Kino?" Todo-Sensei asked calmly, his tone seeming far gentler than before.

"Can she sit next to me?" Kino asked cheerfully, her manner far too adorable for any High Schooler.

"Sure, why not. You heard her, Tamashii. Sit!" Todo-Sensei half-yelled, Ayame rushing to the offered seat as Todo-Sensei leaned back into his own chair.

"You guys can have a free class today since it's the first one back. Just behave."

Ayame soon found herself bombarded with questions from her neighbour as the classroom's loud ambiance again tuned itself up.

"Hey, my name's Kino Haru but everyone calls me Haru-Chan! Can I call you Ayame-Chan?"

"Ehm, sure."

"Yay, I'm sure we'll be really good friends. Do you know where the Photography Club meet?"

"Not yet but…"

"Oh, then I'll show you! I don't have anything important to do today anyway. Besides, Jousuke-Kun is in that club and we have a date later anyway. Have you ever grown your hair out before?"

"Not since I was a little kid…"

"You totally should, you'd be so cute with a pigtails."

"I'd… rather not."

Ayame was flattered at the attention but it really was a bit overwhelming. Haru really was like a ball of sunshine… standing too close made Ayame think she was going to get burned. Even so, the conversation wasn't too bad and she was starting to think she'd just made her first friend.

They'd just moved onto the topic of ex-boyfriends (Ayame had exactly one ex and one boy she'd kissed on a dare, Haru had several from the previous school break alone) when the door had swung open, a spiky blond head leaning into through the doorway with a lazy expression. His eyebrow was pierced and his Gakuren jacket was hanging lazily over his shoulders, a black sleeveless shirt with the image of a bleeding puppet replacing the standard white shirt.

A chill ran down Ayame's back at the sight, his late entrance only reinforcing the rebellious attitude his appearance was clearly crafted for. Haru meanwhile gave a little sigh and pouted.

"I can't believe he was even late on the first day."

The boy, realising that it was a little late to start sneaking, stood up to his full height, eerily matching the dignified looking senior that Ayame had bumped into earlier in the day. Now there was a study in contrast. He'd barely made it in the door when Todo-Sensei had moved to cut him off, standing in front of him with a pair of crossed arms and a now lit cigarette.

"Ganseki, what time do you call this?"

Ganseki shrugged, "I don't have a watch. Besides, it's not like your class is ever worth showing up to."

Todo-Sensei grinned manically at that, his face twitching slightly.

"Care to say that again, you little punk."

"Don't tell me you're going deaf already, you geezer," Ganseki's expression was almost identical to his teacher's as the two leaned in closer, their foreheads pushing competitively against one another.

Before the two could come to blows as Ayame was sure they wanted to (_"What kind of people act like this?!"_), Haru stood up and began waving her arms in the air, "Kenta-Kun, come sit behind me. I saved you a seat."

"Kenta-kun" blushed and pulled away from Todo-Sensei, the two giving one another weary glances before the blond student took his seat behind the bubbly Haru.

Todo-Sensei just shook his head and mockingly mouthed, "Whipped," before sitting back behind his desk with a smug smirk, casually draping his legs over the table.

Ganseki dropped into his own chair with an obvious annoyance, his head resting lazily on his left hand. Haru turned around to pout at him; her bloated cheeks making her look like a small child.

"Stop making that face Kenta-Kun, you're scaring Ayame-Chan," Haru complained, jabbing Ganseki's cheek with her finger.

Ayame shook her head, scowling at the implication while Ganseki's cheeks reddened and his own lips curled downwards angrily.

"I'm not afraid of some punk," Ayame lied, her heart hammering in her chest when Ganseki turned a displeased gaze on her.

"Like I care what some stuck-up bitch thinks," he said easily, earning a slap on the top of his head from Haru who screeched in his ear, "Don't say that, Ayame's really nice!"

"Oi, pipe down Kino!" Todo-Sensei shouted, failing to supress a chuckle at the tiny girl's obvious lack of fear towards the class bad boy. In all honesty, she was treating him like a misbehaving dog… or an old friend…

"Ehm, how do the two of you know each other?" Ayame asked hesitantly.

"We've been best friends since we were little kids," Haru revealed cheerfully, her arm looping around Ganseki's slouching neck with a bright smile.

Ganseki looked away with a humph, his own lips quirking upwards despite himself at the revelation. "Yeah, I've had to look after her since she was just a little squirt."

"You're so mean," Haru whined playfully, slapping his shoulder, causing Ganseki to grin at her and pull her head under his arm.

Ayame found herself laughing alongside him as he knuckled Haru's forehead lightly before ruffling her soft hair manically. By the time Haru had freed herself, she was smiling as well, wrapping her arms tightly around Ganseki's neck in a fierce hug.

"It's been too long," she said happily.

"I was only visiting my grandparents for the week, you're so melodramatic," Ganseki sighed before returning her gesture. "As for you," he said as he turned in Ayame's direction, "I don't think we've been introduced. My name's Kenta."

"I'm Ayame, Ganseki-San," Ayame replied while bowing her head slightly, jolting when Ganseki gave a little snort.

"It's Kenta, not "Ganseki-San", that's way too formal."

"Okay, Kenta-Kun," Ayame responded with an oddly light feeling in his chest, Haru pulling away from him to give Ayame an expectant look. "I guess you want to be called Haru-Chan?"

"Got it in one," Haru giggled as the three settled into a conversation carried by the bubbly teenager in the middle.

* * *

Ayame reached into her bag to pull out her camera as the group met outside the school's front door, hesitantly displaying it to her new friends. It was a fairly new model, flat and sleek while painted a smooth, piano black.

"Woah, that's yours, I could never afford something like this," Haru gushed over Ayame's pride and joy, making the more introverted girl blush.

"You could if you didn't waste all your money on clothes," Kenta noted dryly.

Haru just smirked, flipping her ponytail cockily in just such a way to flash the pink streak in his direction. "We both know you're drooling over me whenever I put on something new."

Kenta choked on his own breath before diverting his attention to the side. "Yeah, right," Kenta complained, his words losing worth when a light pink dusted his cheeks.

"Still," Haru's expression saddened slightly, "it's a shame that the Photography Club isn't meeting today."

"I'll just join on Wednesday, it's really not that big a deal," Ayame assured, slightly embarrassed at Haru's overabundance of empathy. She would have continued talking but her attention was caught by the senior she'd bumped into earlier in the day walking past her with a blank, intimidating expression on his face.

Her words quickly died on her tongue, her expression probably shifting as Haru and Kenta exchanged a confused glance.

"Are you alright?" Haru asked before following her gaze to the giant of a boy. "Oh, Haruya-San. Please tell me you're not interested in him."

"Why, what's wrong with him?" Ayame asked, blinking at the oddly disappointed tone that Haru was using.

"He's an asshole," Kenta answered simply, Haru just shrugging and nodding in agreement with his assessment.

"He's pretty much unapproachable and unbearably cocky. That'd be bad enough but if you've ever seen him lose… he doesn't take it well," Haru said before gripping Ayame's shoulder kindly. "You need to stick with a better crowd than that."

"But you hang out with Kenta-Kun."

"Kenta-Kun's a big softy, he wouldn't hurt a fly," Haru waved off Ayame's complaints easily, failing to notice the predatorial smirk on Kenta's face.

He reached back and flicked her forehead, causing the tiny girl to flinch before taking off sprinting into the distance.

"Kenta-Kun!" she screamed as she took off running after him.

The two were lost in their own little world, goofy smiles forcing their ways onto their faces as they lost themselves to the childish chase. Ayame found it kind of cute, although that didn't change the fact that she now had to walk home alone.

Sighing, she was ready to write the day off as a positive when she noticed something twitching in the corner of her vision. She'd barely detected it but she could have sworn that she saw a crouched over person with bat wings protruding from their back. Shaking her head at the impossible deduction, she realised it must have been someone in costume, probably playing a prank on the first day back.

Ayame fingered her camera, a possibility forming in her mind's eye. Realising that the school's entrance was largely deserted, she decided to trail along the wall, careful not to be seen by her quarry. The cat-and-mouse game was afoot, little glimpses of her target as it turned corners and pushed forward just before she could get a good shot of it on film.

During the chase, she was mentally putting together a map of the school in her head.

"_If he keeps following this path, he should end up in the courtyard. A wide open space that ought to be abandoned by now… perfect to get my shot."_

Ayame grinned at the thrill of the chase, her heart hammering against her ribs as she pushed the door open, stepping out onto the top of the concrete steps and positioning her camera at just the right level to avoid the sun's glare… and promptly freezing in place.

The costumes were certainly of a high quality was where her mind eventually settled on the bizarre sight before her eyes.

Strange creatures with sharp teeth pointing upwards that locked their mouths in frightening grins and narrowed eyes that were only made smaller by the painted red spears pointing towards them that reached for the pointed, bat ears sticking out of the top of their heads were gathered together in a pack. Their bodies were entirely coated in black below the neck, save for a white strip that crossed their chests in a V-shape and reached around their back to provide a contrast to help the almost comically small bat wings stand out against their flat forms. One of them even had what appeared to be a silver trident in their hand, the weapon taller than he was.

Their heads snapped in her direction, their expressions unreadable due to their twisted faces. She was considering running when something pushed against her back, sending her tumbling down the steps towards the courtyard. Her hands pulled her camera tightly against her chest on instinct. She rolled painfully onto her back, grimacing at the shock it sent through her back as the weirdoes circled her and trapped her in place.

Fear gripped at her as she pulled herself to her feet, screaming and trying to push through them, only to be shoved painfully back to her knees, hissing in pain as her ankle twisted painfully against the ground. The spear was soon held up into the air as she stared up at it, shouting for anyone to help her.

"Help! Haru! Kenta! Tono-Sensei! Minami-San!Anybody, please!"

The spear was pulled backwards, lined up with her neck threateningly as her efforts to get aid only redoubled.

"Please! Mom! Dad! Shuuji! Save me!"

The monsters let out a squeaky yet guttural chuckle at her obvious distress, the tears gathering in the corner of her eyes as they held her in place by her arms only adding fuel to their mirth.

Ayame's life flashed in front of her eyes in a fruitless bid to find an escape that wasn't forthcoming. Her eyes shut, hope draining out of her as streams of water cascaded down her cheeks.

That hope was reignited by the sound of a twisted screech emitting from one of the creature's mouths, the grips on her arms being released in the same moment. Her eyes snapped open to see what appeared to be a flash of red wielding a red sabre that was in the process of knocking the monster's spear from its hand with one powerful swing before bringing the blade across its chest in a flash of sparks.

As the beasts retreated away from the new arrival, her saviour stood protectively in front of her, seeming like a knight from a fairy tale and giving her a perfect chance to take in his unique outfit.

He wore what appeared to be a red motorcycle helmet with a single black visor built into its face, sharp red spikes creeping up onto the visor right below where you'd expect the eyes to be. The back also bore a pair of white pointed indents that resembled a small demon's horns after being flattened against its head. The outfit's base was predominantly red spandex with white lining the soles and sides of the boots. The solid white of the sleeveless jacket (waist-length) he wore gave the strange attire an angelic-grace as he faced down his monstrous opponents.

His voice was cold and commanding, masculine in the extreme when he spoke. "If you demons have any fear, now is the time to run. Meteo Red shows no mercy."

Surging forward like a pack of wolves, the charge towards the man in red began. The sabre was already in Meteo Red's hand, resting at his side as he faced the herd unflinchingly. The one running fastest stretched out his arms, leaping forward with clawed hands aiming for the spandex-clad man's throat. Ayame's protector simply took a small step to the side and swung his sword upwards to send the monster spinning to the side in a heap. The sword moved almost faster than the eye could follow, cutting through demonic forms one after another without so much as stopping for a breath.

The monsters fell away, save for one who hopped back just before he could be sliced, a tongue darting tauntingly out of his freakishly unmoving mouth. Said sword rested at Meteo Red's side for half-a-second before he kicked off hard against the ground and took the monster's unguarded back, the sabre's movement little more than a flash of silver as the creature once again traded places with the man in red.

The creature landed on its feet, its wings jolting upwards in rigor mortis… just before its top half fell off its base and its legs simply collapsed out from under it. The entirety of the creature simply evaporated into black smoke, ceasing to exist entirely upon death. The rest of the monsters apparently took this to heart as those that could still be classed as alive faded from sight in a blur of motion.

Ayame was left watching in absolute awe as her saviour moved to place his blade in an invisible sheath at his waist, a white light enveloping the weapon and causing it to simply vanish from existence.

That strong form standing powerful against the sunlight, basking in the glory of his victory was simply too much. Ayame's shaking hands raised the camera in front of her eyes… the shutter fluttered as it captured that glorious moment of a new hero's baptism by fire. The true first battle of Meteo Red.

**Author's Notes: I'm a huge fan of OhRanger where only one ranger actually fights in the first episode, ratcheting up the tension for the full-size battles with the proper monsters to come. So, I'm going to introduce our heroes one by one. Try and guess who the next rangers will be in the review… and of course, the identity of our first hero.**


	2. Episode 2: Getomachi's War

**Author's Notes: Time to meet our next protagonist as Ayame continues her journey into Getomachi's society and the strange events surrounding it.**

**Episode 2**

Ayame sat at home, her room kept neat and tidy with a thin desk and drawers leaning against the corner. Ayame had a photography album laid out in front of her, a collection of images consisting largely of family portraits and her old Photography Club gathered together in a variety of locations. Mixed in amongst those were the scenery photographs, sunlight, mountains and beach to name just a few of the types littering a book that was a thick as her torso. Still, the faint illumination of her lamp was focused solely on one picture in the middle… that of the man in red.

He'd called himself Meteo Red, appearing to save her from those monsters like a knight in shining spandex before vanishing without another word on the subject. He'd simply walked away from her, her legs refusing to follow out of respect for his wish for privacy. Even her tongue was frozen, the stuttered apologies she'd uttered barely worthy of notice.

"_No wonder he didn't want to stick around. Probably thought he was rescuing someone more interesting…"_

"Oi, Onee-Chan, some girl called Haru's on the phone! She sounds pretty annoying but she says she knows you from class!" Ayame's little brother, Shuuji, shouted up from downstairs.

"Tell her I'll be there in a minute!" Ayame replied, quickly adding, "And she's not annoying!"

Imagining her bratty brother sticking his tongue out at her from down the stairs brought a sigh to her lips. Such things seemed so mundane compared to what she'd seen earlier that day. She gingerly took the photo in hand, holding it up to her face by her fingertips and whispering a single question.

"Who are you?"

* * *

Kenta walked along the sidewalk alone, kicking a stray can that had the audacity to cross his path while he was in a foul mood. He usually walked together with Haru in the mornings but when he'd gotten there…

"_Sorry, Haru-Chan went with Jousuke-San this morning. I thought she told you. (Sigh) That silly girl would forget her head if it wasn't so attached to her shoulders."_

Much as Kenta liked Haru's mother (she'd always treated him well and seemed genuinely pleased to have him as her daughter's friend despite his appearance), she couldn't quite deflate his annoyance at his somewhat airheaded best friend. He could have still been in bed at this hour if he hadn't had to walk away from the school to reach her house so they could go together. If she'd just told him… the pain in his chest at the thought of her going on a date with another guy wouldn't be such a fresh wound.

He groaned at the stupid thought, running his hands aggressively through his blond hair so fiercely that several of the locks were actually stuck in his fingers when he pulled them away. God, he needed a distraction.

"Ganseki-San?"

Kenta's head turned slightly, catching sight of Ayame walking not too far behind him, her waving hand retreating at the sight of him in the middle of some kind of spasm. Cursing how stupid he must look, Kenta just sighed again before adjusting his bag.

"Walking to school, Ayame-Chan? And I thought I told you to call me Kenta."

The unspoken invitation was clearly accepted as Ayame fell into step beside him with a shy nod. At least it wouldn't be lonely on the way to school, Kenta always found that walk so boring when he was by himself.

"So, do you live around here?" Ayame asked casually, having to tilt her head upwards to look the tall boy in the eyes.

"I live two neighbourhoods over, I actually had to go out of my way to get here," he explained with a shrug.

"Why would you do that?"

"I usually walk to school with Haru-Chan. We've been doing it since we were kids," the hand resting at Kenta's side twitching in discomfort.

Ayame picked up the sign but unfortunately misinterpreted it.

"I'm sure she's fine with whatever else she's doing today," she tried to reassure, only to get a low growl in response. "Ehm, we can go looking for…"

"No!" he shouted suddenly, causing Ayame to recoil in fear. Seeing her reaction made him sigh, his head turning to the side with an uneasy scowl. "Sorry… she's just out with some guy and I always get uneasy when that happens…"

"Do you not like the guy?" Ayame asked with a raised eyebrow, one which suddenly furrowed at the shake of the head she got in response. "Then are you… jealous?"

"No! Of course not!" Kenta jumped to defend, his hands waving frantically in front of his now blushing face. Kenta growled lowly at the knowing smirk that crossed Ayame's face, "If you start getting any ideas-"

He was cut off by a scream coming from the park they had to pass by to get to the school. It was quickly followed by several more in a horrible cacophony of desperate pleas.

Without a second thought, Kenta took off in the direction of the ruckus, Ayame chasing after a moment of hesitation while shouting, "Wait! Maybe this isn't such a good idea!"

Kenta didn't break stride as he shouted back, "They need help! That's enough reason to go!"

Those were the words swimming through his head as he came to a halt at the top of the steps leading down into the town's main source of green decoration. His jaw fell open at the sight of the deformed creatures attacking the people in the park.

"What the hell are those things?!" he yelled with sweat rolling down his forehead at the sight of the alien forms.

"They're the guys who attacked me yesterday!" Ayame suddenly shouted, drawing Kenta's questioning gaze. "I'll explain later."

He'd been about to pursue the matter further when a small girl screamed from below at one of the beasts raising a clawed hand over her head. Almost instinctively, Kenta took off sprinting down the steps, leaping off the lowest stone to ram his shoulder into the creature's back and sending it tumbling away from its intended victim.

He took a protective stance in front of the child, his fists raised threateningly, as Ayame kneeled down next to the girl behind him.

"She's alright, just a little shaken up," Ayame confirmed as the child threw herself into the teenager's arms amidst harsh sobbing.

"Get her out of here, I'll handle these guys," Kenta said confidently, his boast drawing the monsters' attention from their other victims as they began to circle the giant delinquent.

"But-" Ayame tried to protest, only to be angrily cut off, "I'll be fine, just save the kid!"

Ayame hesitated for a moment before scooping up the child in her arms and running for the steps. "Be careful, Kenta-Kun."

"Don't have to tell me twice," he muttered, eyeing his strange opponents as he tried to decipher which of the near identical demons would be the easiest target.

One of them decided to make the choice for him, running forward and swinging for his face. Kenta raised his arm to block, his feet skidding slightly before bringing the shocked monster to a halt. He then took a step forward and swung his forearm forward, the elbow crashing into the centre of the creature's face and knocking it onto its back.

Its allies charged forward, two of them taking him by surprise and shoving him off his feet. As soon as his back hit the soft grass, he began spinning, twisting his body to sweep the legs out from under the demons still in pursuit. They rolled away from him as a spear was thrust in his general direction, the sharpened point narrowly missing his face as he dodged to the side. His hands quickly wrapped around the weapon, his feet grounding themselves as he used the position to flip one the spear's wielder over his shoulder.

The spear was kicked away and a foot was brought down on the disarmed creature's torso in one fluid but hard motion.

He let out a breath of relief at the loss of such a threat but he felt arms wrapping around his neck from behind before the air had even left his body. His arms reached around to grip the offending limbs, only to find they were both being restrained as well. His legs began frantically kicking outwards but it was a fruitless gesture as he was held down helpless on the dirt.

"Kenta-Kun!" Ayame screamed at his sudden position, Kenta cursing the fact that she was still standing atop the steps. She'd probably felt guilty about abandoning him and stuck around. "Nii-San!" Great, the little girl was there too, that was one more thing to worry about.

His vaguely sarcastic thoughts came to a screeching halt at the sight of one of his attackers picking the spear back off the ground, its long tongue darting hungrily from its permanently grinning mouth as it stalked closer to him. Kenta redoubled his efforts to escape, twisting and pushing every which way he could to absolutely no avail.

His eyes had doubled in size, the shock that he was going to die finally catching up to him. In the end, only one thought remained in his head… the cutest smile from a girl with a pink streak running through her ponytail.

"_Haru-Chan… forgive me…"_

The spear began its descent at what seemed an unbearably slow pace, Kenta convinced that his life flashed by his eyes several times before the tip was even halfway through the air between it and his chest. The horrible reverie was finally shattered by a sword's edge striking the spearhead and deflecting it out of the monster's hand. The spear bounced harmlessly off the grass in the distance as a man in red and white spandex stood over Kenta.

The next few moments were a flurry of chaos, the various creatures abandoning the pinned delinquent only to fall victim to the new warrior's blade, one demon falling after another with seemingly no effort from the swordsman. Kenta had been about to offer his reluctant thanks as he got to his feet when the man who'd come to his rescue was blown off his feet and sent crashing painfully into the bark of a thick tree, the wood splintering under the force before unceremoniously depositing Meteo Red back to the ground.

He struggled to his feet as a deep, wheezy chuckle emitted from the other across the park. Kenta turned his head, his eyes refusing to register what was right in front of them.

A grey, rectangular head with purple hair spiking out from the back of his head in the shape of an ankh. Its eyes were shielded by a pair of thick, black-lensed goggles with red rims, their position drawing attention to the complete lack of a nose on its face. Its twisted mouth formed a w-shape when it closed in sadistic mirth, the face morphing the sounds of the chuckles into something truly terrifying. The main feature marking the entirely grey and naked form was the coverage of a variety of indecipherable symbols running along the lengths of his arms, covering from the palms (where the paint formed ankhs) to the centre of the chest where the signature image was painted into a bright crimson that dripped slightly to mimic the flow of blood. At the end of the right palm was a faint black glow, purplish specks floating into the air like the smoke following a gunshot.

"Shishi, I'm surprised you're still conscious. I suppose I'll have to rectify that," the new aggressor remarked arrogantly. "Demon Forces Soldier, Zu!"

Zu braced his outstretched arm's wrist with his opposite hand, the black glow swirling into a purple vortex before pulsing in Meteo Red's direction at high speed. The sword-wielding warrior rolled out of the way, leaving the tree in the crossfire as he missed the attack.

The tree was obliterated by the strike, wood splintering in every direction before vanishing into ash, floating into the air. Kenta's breath caught in his throat at the shocking display of power, Meteo Red's intense focus on the spot where the flora once stood indicating his own nerves.

Meteo Red dashed forward to evade the follow up shots, the thankfully abandoned area having no innocent bystanders to suffer for his evasive skill. As a blast landed in front of Meteo Red, dust flew up into their faces, making it impossible for Zu to see the Red coated warrior.

Kenta's eyes widened at the sheer display of speed that followed, Meteo Red flying forward in such a way that Kenta's eyes nearly dried out from the exhaustion of seeing such a feat. The flash of the sword seemed to play out in slow motion… while Zu's arm moved at a more ordinary pace. The source of the explosive blasts was pointed directly in his opponent's direction, the purplish glow circling into another pulsing orb of destruction.

The attack made direct contact, Meteo Red being flung back into the concrete steps, his body bouncing sickeningly like a ragdoll before sliding down to the dirt. A faint glow gathered around his body, shattering his suit to reveal a teenager with neat black hair.

"_He's in our school uniform…" _Kenta realised before his attention was refocused by the shadow appearing over him.

The grey skinned demon stared down at him with its bloodcurdling smirk, its hand aimed directly for him as it again gained his attention. A shining explosion erupted against the creature, throwing it backwards and away from the helpless teen who promptly got between the unconscious Meteo Red and the still moving Zu.

A strange figure with a dark, wine coloured hair wearing what appeared to be a pure white monk's robe had its own hand raised, an oddly scolding expression on its mildly effeminate face.

"You know the rules," the new arrival began mysteriously, its voice male but effete.

"Kya, you won't be able to save them next time, angel boy. They'll be my prey yet."

Zu's body seemed to vibrate like it was in an unbearably warm haze before simply vanishing in the space of a second, leaving the park monster free. The borderline-angelic figure turned its attention back to Kenta, observing him with an odd curiosity that froze said delinquent look-alike in-place. Kenta puffed up his chest slightly, glaring to mask his unease at the obviously powerful man before him.

"You faced the monsters to protect the people in this park," he remarked with a quirked eyebrow, "… how odd."

"Why, because of how I look?!" Kenta masked his nerves with anger, taking a step forward so that he came face-to-face with the effeminate man. In response, all he got was a slight smirk.

"My, so brave," the man quipped. "Where are my manners, my name is Raphael and I am the leader of the Angels on this world."

"Angels? Demons? What the hell is going on here anyway?!" Kenta responded aggressively, running a hand through his hair as he tried to comprehend the strange events going on around him.

"I think you might be just what I'm looking for," Raphael commented almost gleefully, extending his hand in a show of trust. "How would you like to be let in on Getomachi's greatest secret?"

Kenta nodded at the offer, accepting the handshake before glancing in the direction of his fallen schoolmate only to find him gone. "What the…"

"He doesn't like strangers, I'm afraid. Don't take too much offence to him taking off once your back was turned," Raphael said as he pulled his hand back. "Besides, you'll know his identity soon enough if you play your cards right."

"Play my cards right… I better not regret this," Kenta warned as he walked after Raphael to the park's exit.

* * *

The two found themselves stopping in front of the town's spartanly designed church, the pointed spire looming overhead and seeming out of place against the Japanese countryside. Kenta stared up at it blankly, noticeably unimpressed.

"An angel living in a church. How original…" he remarked dryly, causing Raphael to chuckle.

"Where else would I live? It's where I always stay whenever I visit this plane of existence and I've grown rather fond of it, truth be told," Raphael responded coolly before starting up the stone steps. "Are you still interested in coming?"

Kenta snorted and started walking, "I didn't walk all this way for nothing. Ya got that, choir boy."

"Perfectly," Raphael remarked without flinching, his smirk only growing wider.

The doors were thrown open to reveal rows of empty chairs overlooked by stained glass windows marked with imagery Kenta only had the vaguest understanding of, annoyed that it probably had some significance to his obviously religiously inspired new acquaintance. A figure standing atop the small altar at the church's centre turned her head sideways, smiling pleasantly at the new arrival. She was a pretty young woman with her long blond hair braided to the side of her head and wearing the same clean white robe as Raphael.

"Ah, Raphael, you're back so soon," the woman began, her eyes twinkling at the sight of Kenta.

"Yes, Shekhinah, he is the second to be chosen to lead our glorious forces," Raphael responded, causing Kenta to do a double-take. "He will wear the colour of blue with pride."

"Ooh, a protective one, how nice," Shekhinah responded, walking forward and leaning worryingly close to Kenta's face.

Kenta's face reddened and he moved backwards, tripping over his feet and ending up on his backside. "Personal space!" he yelled in embarrassment as she giggled away at him.

"And the girl?" she asked after calming her mirth.

Raphael just smirked, "She followed along, so I think I know what colour to grant her."

"Followed along…" Kenta turned to the door, blinking at the sight of someone ducking quickly behind a wooden bench to avoid being seen. "Oi, who's there?! Get out where I can see you!"

The surprised squeak that followed saw two bodies falling out from the hiding place. A visibly nervous Ayame had her eyes darting between the door and the little girl from the park was clenched protectively in her arms.

"Why are you here? And why'd you bring the kid?!" Kenta said as he clutched the sides of his head in frustration. "Did ya kidnap her or somethin'?!"

"No!" Ayame screeched back. "She told me she saw her mom so I let her go. When I started following you," she paused at this point to give him a hard glare, "just to make sure you were alright, you ungrateful jerk."

Kenta mumbled something in annoyance while rolling his eyes in exasperation, a motion that brought out the exact same reaction in the young woman before she continued, "She must have followed me… something that was very naughty."

The little girl ducked her head guiltily, biting her bottom lip and looking up at Ayame with wide eyes. "You're not mad, are you Onee-Chan?"

Ayame just gave her a deadpan look, "I have a little sister and a younger brother, I'm immune to puppy dog eyes."

The little girl giggled nervously, "Uh oh, hehehe."

"Oh, we don't mind another guest, do we Raphael?" Shekhinah said joyfully, staring with an eerie curiosity at the small child, making the little girl curl closer into Ayame's chest. "What's your name, little one?"

"Aki…" she mumbled uncomfortably, her face ducking against Ayame's bust to avoid the older woman's eyes.

Kenta was about to object when Ayame beat him to the punch, "You're frightening her, back off." If Kenta was surprised at the forcefulness in her tone, he was careful not to show it, only nodding sternly when Shekhinah turned her questioning gaze on him.

"Very well, my apologies. I just rarely get to see such small humans," Shekhinah explained briefly.

Kenta gaped at that, praying it was just awkward phrasing. "But you're human, right?"

"Nope, I'm an angel, just like Raphael," Shekhinah answered with her usual smile.

"Although that name is an arrogant one," another male voice called from one of the upper galleries where people could sit if they couldn't get a seat on the same floor as the altar. He had an oddly dark green coloured hair and wore a white bandanna that shaded his eyes from sight, leaving only his smirk in view.

"Now, now Lucifer, we should be welcoming to our new guests," Raphael scolded lightly as he took his place behind the altar's wooden podium, staring down at the three humans like a priest watching over his ecumenical flock. "That is why you came, right, Kenta?"

"How do you… never mind," Kenta waved off the other man knowing his name as magic and decided to leave it at that. "Just start explaining it."

"Of course," Raphael began as he opened the first page of the innocuous bible atop the podium, a bright white light racing out of the literature and blinding the room's inhabitants.

* * *

Kenta glanced about at their new surroundings, screaming in shock when he realised that they were now floating over the Earth in what appeared to be outer space. Ayame gave a similar start but Aki just started laughing at the sight. "That's so cool," she said while turning in Ayame's arms to get a better look. "I wonder how high up we are…"

"High enough," Kenta responded dryly, the two girls giggling at his flat delivery.

"You are currently sitting in Earth's upper atmosphere, or your spirits are, anyway. Your bodies are still in the Church, standing somewhat catatonic but unharmed."

The trio gave a start at the appearance of Raphael, his robe having given way to a pair of white pants and a pair of pure snow-like wings ejecting from his back to further resemble the classic view of an angel.

"Woah, so pretty," Aki commented, Ayame nodding in agreement at the sight of the effeminate male floating above them.

Ignoring their praise, Raphael raised his hand and snapped his fingers, causing the entire group to zoom forward into the Earth like they were on a rollercoaster, coming to a dead-stop over what appeared to be a feudal Getomachi. The Church was still standing near the town's centre, looking almost exactly the same as it would hundreds of years later when Ayame first encountered it the day she moved into town.

"Our war has been waged for millennia, across distances that span the lengths of the universe. Getomachi became the latest location for battle about three hundred of your years ago," Raphael began, his voice becoming slightly more ominous as the world before them was enveloped in smoke, the tiny buildings near the Church having caught fire. Several monstrous looking beings shielded by the shadow of smoke ran roughshod over the town, people screaming and fleeing as quickly as they could.

"It's horrible," Aki said, rubbing tears out of her eyes as Ayame tightened her grip on the small girl as much for her own comfort as the child's. "Yeah, it is."

"Why the hell are you showing us this?!" Kenta yelled, as enraged by his female companions' sadness as he was by the sight before them. "What's the point, you winged freak?!"

Raphael's expression drained of its knowing smile, glaring coldly at Kenta through half-lidded eyes. "I show you this so that you know what you are fighting for. 'Hell' is a perfect choice of words, wouldn't you agree?"

"That guy in red…" Kenta suddenly commented, Ayame filling in the blank, "Meteo Red."

"He is my first soldier, the calm and collected leader ruthlessly focused on victory. He is a worthy successor."

"Successor to what?" Ayame asked curiously.

"To them," Raphael said as he pointed his outstretched finger forward into a plume of smoke.

Five beings dressed exactly like Meteo Red stepped forward, their colours ranging from the aforementioned light red through blue, green, yellow and pink. The five walked with an obvious purpose, the demons charging forward to meet the angelic warriors.

The scene suddenly shifted, a single sword sticking out of the ground in the abandoned city.

"What happened?" Ayame whispered nervously, Raphael shrugging lazily.

"The fight ended in a draw," he explained, sweeping his arm in the general direction of the Church. "We retreated to our Church and the Demon Forces retreated to their own base."

The world shifted again, the group falling through the Earth, soon slipping through the entirety of the soil to a wondrously horrifying sight below their own city. What appeared to be an inverted Church floated before them, the stained glass using increased purples and blacks to darken their religious subject mockingly. Other than that though, it was just their city's Church.

The world tilted suddenly, the Church seeming right side up as they were spun around like bottles. Raphael for his part just placed his hands together in prayer, closing his eyes to the sight before him.

"Here we see the location of our old opponent, a man to truly be feared... Astaroth, the Demon Forces' general."

At the announcement of the name, a deep laughter echoed around the recesses of the underground cavern. For a brief moment, the three humans caught sight of a man with dark brown hair jetting out from his head at sharp angles, his black latex outfit decorated with spikes and jagged jewellery… his eyes surrounded by black paint and toothy smirk filled with a perfect malice. Then… the bright light consumed them once more.

* * *

Kenta was visibly shaking as they reappeared in the church, the borderline demented laughter still ringing in his ears, the face attached to it flashing by his eyes every time he so much as blinked. Taking a deep breath, he steadied his nerves and finally noticed the effect that the journey had had on his comrades.

Ayame's skin had paled, her eyes widened and a cold sweat ran down her forehead but, all things considered, she was holding up well. Aki meanwhile…

The little girl was sniffling notably, her grip on Ayame's shirt seeming dangerously close to tearing the material. She was whispering something to herself as well, her eyes completely unseeing as they stared forward.

The sight made Kenta's blood boil, his more hot-headed nature causing him to push forward towards the altar, slamming his open palm down on the wooden podium right in front of Raphael. The angel didn't even flinch, blinking boredly at the sight while giving his usual placid smile, the gesture appearing far too cocky for Kenta's liking.

"Stop smiling, you asshole!" Kenta yelled, stepping forward to grip the nape of Raphael's robe. "You don't show something like that to a child!"

"If Astartoth isn't stopped, this is the fate of your world," Raphael retorted easily, his expression completely free of both fear and irritance. "It'll be more than one child seeing that vision then, won't it."

Kenta snarled, his fingers tightening around the cloth when Ayame called out to him.

"Kenta-kun, please stop," Ayame pleaded, soothingly rubbing Aki's back at the same time to bring her sniffling to a hiccupping halt. "Hitting him won't do anything. It isn't worth it."

Kenta hesitated before sighing in annoyance as he let Raphael go, his weakness for a woman's request shining through.

Raphael's smile seemed mocking following that, prodding Kenta's anger even further. "Now that we've settled that, it's about time we got around to settling why I brought you here." He moved to the altar, flipping its wooden top over to reveal a compartment hidden underneath it, a luminescent glow bursting out of it. Raphael reached his robed arms in, his hands both gripping onto something before rising back out and closing the hidden drawer.

The closed fists continued to emit radiance from the cracks… one blue and the other green. A hand was extended towards a hesitant Kenta, the young man blinking uncomfortably at the proffered limb. Raphael tilted his head gently to the side, Shekhinah leaned forward with her lips quirked in fascination and Lucifer turned his head to the side to shield his expression. All the while, Aki and Ayame watched on in amazement.

"What is this?" Kenta asked after a moment's silence, seeking out Raphael's crinkled eyes.

Ayame gasped in sudden realisation, "Meteo Blue…"

"Huh?"

"Kenta… you're going to be Meteo Blue! He is, isn't he?" Ayame questioned Raphael at the end, her eyes widened in excitement.

"Indeed his powers will be just as great as our first soldier, the one called Meteo Red." Raphael's hand opened revealing a glowing blue stone embedded into the face of what appeared to be the base and strap of a white watch. "Your decision to rush to the aid of others marks you as the inheritor of Meteo Blue, guardian of the Angelic Forces. Do you accept?"

Kena was quiet for a moment, his head lowering as his fists clenched at his sides aggressively. His words were brief and terse, "… will it let me defeat Astartoth?"

"That depends entirely on your own convictions," Raphael responded simply, his smile fading to a more calculating expression.

Kenta gave a short chuckle before grinning ferally and grabbing the offered device and wrapping it around his own wrist. "Hehe, just how I like it."

Kenta raised it into the air, the muted light pouring through the stain-glass glinting off his new acquisition and revealing the two blue buttons placed just below the embedded gem and coating it in an appropriately angelic glow. Aki and Ayame both crowded around as soon as the arm was lowered, both trying to get a better look at the device.

"It's so pretty," Aki gushed as she poked at the blue gem experimentally.

"It suits you, Kenta-Kun," Ayame said calmly, patting his shoulder cheerfully.

"Of course, I'm distributing two of those today," Raphael interrupted, thrusting a green version of the watch in Ayame's direction. "These are Meteo-Bracers and they are the source of your powers. Meteo Green was once a force of curiosity and ingenuity, I have a sneaking suspicion you are most suited to pursuing his path."

Kenta and Aki watched curiously as Ayame's face went a deep shade of red and she began trying to wave off the offer. "But I don't know the first thing about fighting… I'm not strong like Kenta-Kun or like Meteo Red."

"Then you abandon Getomachi to its fate… such a pity," Raphael sighed as he moved to retract the Meteo-Bracer, Ayame's hand instinctively gripping his wrist as he did so. "Hm, something to add?"

"You'll give this to someone else… right?" she asked uncertainly, shaking his arm slightly when he shook his head. "Why not?"

"Because I've chosen you and I don't feel like changing my mind," he explained simply as he started moving to return the Bracer to its place.

"You should do it!" Aki suddenly shouted in encouragement, causing both teens to look at her in confusion. "You were really cool earlier when you protected me. I know you can do it again for everyone else."

Ayame blushed at the praise and giggled nervously, turning to Kenta, "What do you think?"

"Why are you asking me?" he retorted in a less than challenging manner, raising his eyebrow in confusion.

Aki elbowed him in the knee, frowning angrily at his rudeness, "Don't say that to Onee-Chan. You're meant to be nice to girls."

"Fine, geez," Kenta grumbled before looking back at Ayame, who was trying her hardest not to giggle. Rubbing the back of his head, Kenta shrugged. "I guess I could use the help… but I don't really want you getting hurt."

Ayame saw the genuine concern in his features and the hero-worship on Aki's face, feeling a sudden guilt clenching at her stomach. She released a shaky breath as she placed a hand over the green gem. "I'll take it. Someone has to take it anyway."

Despite her words, her knees were notably shaking and her hands were all but shivering through her attempts to tie the strap together over her wrist. Finally snapping it on, she shakily lifted her arm and let the others take the sight in. Kenta sighed before offering a thumbs up and Aki ran over to grip Ayame's skirt, starting to hop up and down in excitement.

The group were left in smiles at the end of things despite themselves, Lucifer's head raising to reveal a slightly maniacal grin.

* * *

"You're sure you live this way?" Ayame asked Aki curiously, holding onto the little girl's hand tightly. Having left the church and already missed a decent amount of the school's morning, Ayame decided she'd better get Aki back to her mother. Kenta had just gone along with the plan, following behind with his hands in his uniform pockets.

Aki nodded, "Uh-huh, Mommy should be home already because my school has a day off today. That's why we went to the park this morning. She only left me for a minute to go get ice cream for us…"

Noticing her mood dipping, Ayame quickly interrupted her, "Yeah, so imagine how happy she'll be to see you."

"Hm," Aki agreed, her lips curling upwards joyously, Ayame mirroring the expression. Kenta couldn't help but smile at the sight with a sigh. At least skipping school was nothing new to him when things went astray.

As they neared the park again, a woman's voice scream cut through the air, "Aki!"

The woman was beautiful, her long black hair framing heart-shaped features. Her legs were long and her build was attractively slim, well-suited to the smart white skirt and red shirt that she wore. The fact that the two had the same shade of black hair and identical green eyes really did mark Aki and her mother as relatives.

"Mommy!" Aki responded, ripping free of Ayame's grip and sprinting forward.

Her mother dropped onto her knees and caught the child in her arms, holding her tightly against her chest before pulling back and giving her an apologetic look that was bordering on tears, "I'm so sorry, I'll never leave you alone again! Please forgive me!"

"It's okay, Mommy," Aki said in a panicked tone, trying to keep the sadness out of her voice. "I found a really nice Onee-Chan and Nii-San to help me."

Her mother stared at the two, her face breaking into a grateful smile as she lowered her head to the ground in a respectful bow. "Thank you so much for looking after her. I'm forever in your debt."

"Don't worry about it," Kenta interrupted with a slightly embarrassed smile. "Just go enjoy your day together. I remember not having enough days off back when I was in elementary school, anyway."

Aki chirped in agreement, her mother blinking in surprise before chuckling along with her daughter. Ayame and Kenta waved the two off as they wandered away with their hands held tightly. Once they were out of sight, the two shared a knowing look.

"We should go back to school…" Ayame began.

"Yeah, we should. Uh, Todo-Sensei's gonna lay into me for this," Kenta responded with a mournful groan.

They would have started heading back for the school when they were both startled by the sound of an explosion coming from nearby.

"The hell was that?!" Kenta yelled, bracing himself aggressively.

"It could be that monster from earlier. We have to hurry!" Ayame shouted, Kenta nodding in agreement as the two took off running towards the source of the noise.

* * *

A busy street was swiftly being abandoned as purple blasts of energy flew to the air, obliterating all unfortunate enough to be trapped in its path. Zu's tattooed form walked up the path, his red rimmed goggles shielding his eyes and only intensifying the creepy aura emanating from his sadistic chuckles. That was the sight that greeted Kenta and Ayame skid to a halt on the now deserted road. Zu's laughter only got heavier at the sight.

"Back to die properly this time, shishishi," he mocked as he cracked his knuckles and flashed his teeth in a frightening smirk.

"Teme," Kenta growled, pointing forward aggressively. "I have no intention of letting you walk away this time. You got me, you freak!"

"Shishi, did you hit your head or something? Remember what happened the last time we fought?"

"We haven't forgotten," Ayame retorted, her face grim. "You hurt a lot of innocent people today; we won't let that happen again."

"Shishi, then bring it on!" Zu motioned towards himself tauntingly, both Kenta and Ayame sharing a determined nod at the sight.

"Ready, Ayame-San?" "Ready, Kenta-Kun."

Their right arms were raised in front of their chests in sync, the index fingers of their opposite hand striking the buttons beneath their gems in unison and causing a bright glow in appropriate colours to emit from the stones. Their Meteo-Brace wearing arms were both thrown into the air as they shouted in unison, "Meteo Shift!"

The light from the gem flowed forward like liquid embedding everything below their neck in a radiant glow. The dazzling effect slowly faded away, trailing up boots with white trimming followed by blue/green spandex and topped with a white, sleeveless jacket. Ayame's also came with a green skirt that reached towards her knees. As several luminescent orbs floated from the costume, they suddenly raced back downwards and covered their heads. That popped away one final time to reveal their helmets, coloured horns creeping onto their visors while white ones trailed into the helmets' tops.

Kenta started the motion, clenching his fist and throwing it off to the side aggressively, "The Angelic Shield, Meteo Blue!"

Ayame tapped her index finger off the side of her temple before leaving it commandingly hanging in front of her opposite shoulder, "The Intellect of the Heavens, Meteo Green!"

Taking a unified step forward and posing, both yelled together, "Meteo Ranger!"

Zu took a step backwards at the sight, "Two new ones already?! But they're supposed to come one at a time!"

Ayame examined her costume thoroughly, patting down the skirt and kicking her foot along the ground to check her movement. "This is so cool."

"Yeah, I guess," Kenta agreed embarrassedly. "I did always want to be a Super Hero after all. It might have only been when I was four but still."

Zu tightened his monstrous hand into a fist before grinning and throwing it into the air, a horde of the usual lesser demons appearing after the motion. "Don't think you've frightened me! Imps, attack!"

The Imps took the command and began charging forward, the two newly minted Meteo Rangers flinching for the briefest second before standing their ground.

"Let's do it!" Kenta shouted as he stepped forward and smashed his elbow into the face of the fastest runner, the creature going down with a pained screech. He then threw himself forward, shouldering a target before catching the next one by its shoulders. He spun in place and flung the Imp into a group of its peers, the four collapsing into a pained heap. "Yeah! I knew I could do this!"

Ayame, on the other hand, flinched and moved backwards at the oncoming opponents. The rapid swings of the Imps failed to even graze her as Ayame leant backwards, hopped and generally evaded every blow. After one particularly erroneous effort, Ayame threw her leg up and caught her opponent flat in the face. The force knocked it off of its feet, Ayame gasping at the force behind the blow. "That was incredible… This suit is amazing!"

Ayame was so stunned by her increased capabilities that one of the Imps managed to club her in the back of her head and knock her to the ground. It started throwing its arms up in celebration after the hard strike but was soon taken from its feet by Ayame pushing backwards and swinging her legs in a circular motion, using her hands to pop herself into a crouching position as the arc completed itself.

"I barely even felt that," Ayame bragged, before sweeping the legs out from under the next Imp and driving her heel down onto its stomach. Ayame then rolled her foot forward, using the creature's stomach as a stepping stone to get the extra airtime needed to jump kick one of its few remaining comrades directly where the nose should have been on its mask-like face. Ayame landed on one knee while the Imp landed on the back of its head a few feet away.

Kenta meanwhile thrust his flat palm forward and drove the final Imp out of his range, the foot soldiers fading in a series of heat-like hazes and leaving Zu all alone with Meteo Blue and Meteo Green.

"I guess I'll have to do everything myself. At least I enjoy the carnage, shishishi," Zu chuckled evilly as the black energy began collecting over his fists and darkening to a light-repelling shade of purple.

Before the attack could launch, Zu pitched forward, his arms launching backwards in pain as Meteo Red's sword slashed a diagonal line across his spine. Sparks erupted from the strike as Zu stumbled forward, a clean red scar left across his back by the attack as Meteo Red circled around him to join up with his new allies.

"You again!"

"So, Raphael sent reinforcements," Meteo Red began before scoffing. "Just don't get in my way."

"Hey!" Kenta yelled, stepping forward angrily only to be stopped short by Ayame's standing in front of him.

"Come on, he's probably just used to working alone," Ayame posited soothingly. "We just have to show him we're useful."

Kenta was silent for a moment before growling and nodding reluctantly, "Whatever."

"If you're done playing around, can you at least arm yourselves?" Meteo Red said disinterestedly.

"With what?" Ayame asked genuinely, causing Meteo Red to shoot her what seemed to be an annoyed look.

"Are you serious?" Meteo Red asked in disbelief, clicking his tongue irritably when he received a nod in response. "Just focus hard on wanting a weapon and you'll start to feel it. Then you can pull it from the holster, you should have swords as well."

"Let's try it then," Ayame said uncertainly, receiving a clap on the shoulder from Kenta and a, "Alright, let's do it."

Reaching for their waists, both were disappointed to grasp empty air. However, before either could voice their discontent, they felt a sudden weight appearing on their backs, Kenta feeling one large object while Ayame felt two lighter ones. As their hands gripped the objects and pulled them in front of themselves, the two gave startled shouts as they simply materialised out of the ether, coming into existence incrementally when they reached certain points.

For Meteo Blue, a large circular blue shield that covered from his entire upper body emerged from the flashing white, Kenta giving it an experimental toss up into the air before slotting his arm through the straps on the underside. Meteo Green's weapons were a pair of what appeared to extra-long police batons in her own colour, which she quickly twirled around by the protruding mint green handles before resting the majority of her weapons' span against her own lower arms.

"Amazing." "I was expecting something a bit more offensive than a shield but it could be worse."

Zu generated another blast and flung it into the middle of the Meteo trio, scattering them ungracefully as only Meteo Red retained his footing and rushed Zu. Zu simply fired another destructive ball, forcing Meteo-Red to roll away at the last moment. The cat-and-mouse game continued for a moment until Zu switched targets and fired ahead of Meteo Red and caused him to stumble. Seeing his opportunity, Zu fired another energy ball and his W-shaped mouth curled into its bloodcurdling smirk as his opponent proved completely incapable of dodging by himself.

Just before Meteo Red could be written off, a blue spandex-clad body leaped in front of Meteo Red, a large shield placed protectively in front of himself and his partner. The purple ball struck the shield's face and exploded with a deafening boom, driving the white of Kenta's boots along the ground in a skid that lasted about an inch. Kenta still managed to hold himself steady, coming out of his slight crouch and a sharp gesture to the side with his newly discovered weapon.

"Not this time," he said gruffly, tensing himself into a crouch as he jumped forward and smashed the shield into Zu's chest, sending the demon flying through the air.

Zu scrambled to his feet but was blinded momentarily by the sun's glare, shielding his eyes as a shadow seemed to fall from above. Meteo Green's batons spun gracefully before crashing into Zu's limbs, the tattooed being howling with pain as every part of his body was battered by the fast moving poles. He eventually swung an arm out, staggering Ayame and giving him the opportunity to fire another energy blast, the ball racing towards Ayame's still spinning weapons in a bid to strike her chest.

The purple sphere made contact with the spinning weapon, twisting with its rhythm and firing backwards as if launched by catapult. Zu's own energy struck him directly, sparks flying everywhere as he was thrown forcibly against the wall of a nearby building. He fell gracelessly onto his front, his opponents circling him cautiously. Zu's fingers twitched before his head shot upwards with a frantic smirk etched onto his face.

"That does it! I'm done with you!"

Ayame saw the power gathering around his palms and began to sweat profusely as she tried to work out how to stop Zu.

"_Meteo Red's sword would probably cut through him but he can't get close. I could deflect the shots but I have no idea which way they'll fly at this distance, so Kenta-kun is the only one who could deal with the blasts… I've got it!"_

Gripping Meteo Red's arm, she resisted his attempt to pull away and dragged him behind Kenta, "Meteo Blue, charge!"

"What?!"

"Just trust me and go!" Meteo Green shouted.

Kenta made an annoyed grunt as he started pushing forward, several explosive balls impacting upon his shield as he forced himself through. The closer he came though, the harder it was to move as the attacks came faster and faster. Ayame and Meteo Red meanwhile were following directly behind Meteo Blue, Ayame yelling, "Go!" as she jumped onto Kenta's shoulder and launched herself over Zu's head. The sudden movement surprised Zu and caused him to throw a blast directly into Meteo Green's spinning batons, the explosion reflecting painfully downwards atop Zu.

Zu screeched as Ayame fell to Zu's back, her breath catching in her throat as she prayed that Meteo Red would seize the opportunity.

Zu glared as he lowered his vision, preparing to attack the insolent Meteo Green only to see Meteo Red drawing his katana-like sword. White light trailed the sword's length, a blinding luminescence appearing behind him as he held the sword to his side. Meteo Red dashed forward, crossing past Zu in a single instant as he came to a halt with the sword held out to the opposite side.

Zu's convulsed painfully as he fell forward and hit the ground, his body undergoing sudden combustion and exploding behind Meteo Red as he calmly placed his sword back in his intangible sheath.

"Yes!" Ayame shouted cheerfully as her short plan came together, Kenta raising his arm in celebration at the same time.

Meteo Red simply started walking forward, pausing for a moment in front of Ayame.

"Not bad," he said briefly as he walked forward, disappearing from sight as Ayame found herself gripped by a sudden shyness.

She'd just done something absolutely incredible… hadn't she?

"He's cold but he has a point. You did great," Kenta complimented as his suit dissolved to reveal his usual blond hair and his uniform underneath.

Ayame's suit dispersed too, revealing the uncomfortable smile on her face. "Yeah, I have no idea what got into me, hehehe…"

Ayame glanced at the ground, her fists clenching tightly.

"You know this is only the beginning, right?"

"Yeah, but," Kenta offered his own hand forward, "we'll be ready for next time, right?"

Ayame's smile became slightly more natural as she took his hand in a firm shake. "Right."

* * *

Beneath the church in Getomachi's centre, a twisted structure seemed to grow in inverse; the darkened cavern covered by a purple glow and was haunted by several screaming spirits. Floating in through the stain-glass windows covered in images of blood and gore, one could see a single figure sitting in a throne sitting where a church's podium normally stood. His jagged brown hair and spiked black latex suit, overlaid with jewellery, were a perfect complement to the black paint marked around his eyes. His fingers drummed against his cheek as he rested lazily on his throne while a woman approached.

The woman had dark green hair and wore what appeared to be a black bra and miniskirt over a total latex suit in the uniform colour that also adorned her master. Her eyes danced with glee and her lips were occasionally wetted by her tongue darting out hungrily like a starved hyena's. She kneeled before the other man, her lips pointing downwards nervously.

"Master Astaroth, Zu is dead. The next two Meteo Rangers have revealed themselves and have proved too much for him."

Astaroth shifted in his seat, leaning forward menacingly. "Well then, Caina, I suppose we'll have to move things forward. The sooner all the pieces reach the board, the sooner the game can move forward to the next stage."

Despite his calm demeanour and pleasant words, his body was shaking, his teeth gritting against each other as he stared down at his servant below menacingly. His body was like an armed bomb, the slightest knock likely to send all of his frustration and rage exploding out of its thin shell and onto whoever happened to be nearest.

"Yes, Master, I'll prepare the next soldiers more carefully," Caina responded guardedly, fearful of setting off her master's wrath, standing to retreat.

"Caina," Astaroth called after her, his chin resting on one of his palms.

"Yes, Master?"

"Make sure to choose a… 'fun' one next. I think it's about time I started watching Raphael's little pawns more closely."

**Author's Notes: God, that took forever. I had a lot to cover in this chapter, so you could assume that this and chapter one would have formed a two-parter had they been actual episodes. Hopefully, the next one will be out in shorter order. **

**Also, I'm disappointed about how few of you guessed who the next Meteo Ranger would be. Just kidding, I'm pretty happy with the response I got and hope this chapter will bring more of the same. **


End file.
